Vegetable / Warm season

Black Beauty Eggplant

Warm patio containers and protected raised beds.

Classic glossy purple fruit with mild flesh when harvested young.

Seed spacing and maturity

Can I plant this now?: Use your local last-frost, first-frost, and soil-temperature checks before treating this crop as plantable today.
Start indoors or direct sow?: Start indoors, harden off, then transplant into the final bed when local timing is safe.
How much space?: 24 inches in-row spacing, 36 inches between rows, and 0.25 inch seed depth.
Best companions?: Use crop-family rotation first, then pair with compatible timing, spacing, and canopy size rather than relying on a simple companion chart.
Common failure modes?: Do not set outside while nights are cool; flea beetles can hit stressed plants hard. Steady warm-season moisture, especially during fruit set. Warm, fertile, well-drained soil.

Sun: Full sun
Water: Steady warm-season moisture, especially during fruit set.
Soil: Warm, fertile, well-drained soil.
Watch: Do not set outside while nights are cool; flea beetles can hit stressed plants hard.